La Crosse, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia : L : LA : LAC : La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. The population was 51,818 at the 2000 census. Together with surrounding communities, the La Crosse metropolitan area was, according to the 2000 census, home to 96,592 people. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's La Crosse Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of La Crosse County in Wisconsin and Houston County, Minnesota (composite 2000 population: 126,838).
La Crosse is the county seat of La Crosse County[Geographic references#6GR6]. La Crosse is located in western Wisconsin, on the Mississippi River at the confluence of the Black and La Crosse Rivers. It was the site of an 18th century fur trading post and medical stop for traders traveling down the Mississippi River. At the time it was called Prairie La Crosse.
Education and Economy
Today La Crosse is the home of two major clinics and a number of schools including Western Technical College, Viterbo University, and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The area is served by the School District of La Crosse. [link] La Crosse is also home to Aquinas High School, the city's only Roman Catholic high school. La Crosse is also the original home and international headquarters of the Trane air conditioning company, the City Brewing Company, and the Company Store.The La Crosse Tribune is the city's newspaper. The Second Supper, a satirical newspaper is also published in La Crosse.
The two major clinics are Gundersen Lutheran and Franciscan Skemp, which is part of the Mayo Clinic.
Religious centers
- La Crosse is the episcopal see for the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse. The Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman is the mother church of the Diocese.
- The mother house of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration is in La Crosse.
- The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is in La Crosse.
- Christ Church of La Crosse is the city's Episcopal church.
Notable people
- John Toland, writer
- Joseph Losey, film producer
- Ford Sterling, actor
- Charles Dierkop, actor
- Patrick Lucey, Governor of Wisconsin
- Ed Gein, Notorious murderer
- John Joseph Paul, Roman Catholic Bishop
- Walter Ristow, notable librarian
- James Cameron, civil rights activist
- Robert E. Kreutz, American composer
\"God's Country\"
La Crosse is often referred to as "God's Country" because it was unspoiled by glaciers that flattened much of the rest of the upper Midwestern United States. La Crosse is surrounded by towering bluffs, the most prominent of which is Grandad's Bluff (mentioned in Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain). (For more, see Driftless Zone.)
Across the Mississippi River from La Crosse is La Crescent, Minnesota. There are several other communities that surround La Crosse and offer many commercial venues, including Onalaska, Wisconsin, Holmen, Wisconsin, and West Salem.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 57.4 km² (22.2 mi²). 52.2 km² (20.1 mi²) of it is land and 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²) of it (9.12%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 51,818 people, 21,110 households, and 10,217 families residing in the city. The population density was 993.4/km² (2,573.4/mi²). There were 22,233 housing units at an average density of 426.2/km² (1,104.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.58% White, 1.56% African American, 0.51% Native American, 4.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.There were 21,110 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.6% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 24.4% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,103, and the median income for a family was $43,047. Males had a median income of $30,996 versus $22,076 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,650. About 7.8% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
See also
- City Brewing Company
- Old Style Beer
- G. Heileman Brewing Company
- La Crosse area radio stations
- La Crosse area television stations
External links
- [City of La Crosse website]
- [University of Wisconsin - La Crosse]
- [La Crosse Library]
- [LaCrosseWisconsin.com]
- [Historic Downtown La Crosse], Downtown Mainstreet Inc.
- [La Crosse Wisconsin Weather with Downtown Roof Cam]
| |
|
|---|---|
| Surrounding municipalities (over 10,000) | |
| Onalaska° | |
| (less than 10,000) | |
|
Brice Prairie§ |
French Island§ |
Holland* |
Holmen‡ La Crescent, MN° | Medary* | Shelby* | Onalaska* | |
| Counties | |
| Houston (MN) | La Crosse | |
| *town ‡village °city §CDP | |
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